AMD Fusion, the latest buzzword in the industry, simply put is a complex chip called Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), with a dual-core CPU, graphics processor, a PCI-Express switch and a DDR3 memory controller all rolled into one. This level of integration helps reduce system-level latencies, thereby improving performance and more importantly, reducing overall power-consumption and heat output, bringing it into the ultra-low power niche. AMD claims performance increments scaling up to 20 per cent for the CPU and up to 35 per cent for the GPU. Its compact package allows manufacturers to use it in building less than 1 inch thick notebooks.

The platform codenamed 'Shrike' is the first implementation of this design methodology. This industry schematic shows the various components of it. Shrike is slated for a H2, 2009 release. While it's not aimed to compete directly with the Intel Centrino Atom or VIA Isiah, it could just become a competitive platform for portable computing. Shrike consists of an APU codenamed "Swift" that connects to an external southbridge chip.

I don't see a connection for the Northbridge in the picture, just the Southbridge. Does this new chip eliminate it?

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Yes. All components of the NB (PCI-E switch, Memory controller, Hypertransport, A-Link) are all in the APU. The NB is completely eliminated. All that remains is an A-Link (PCI-E 2.0 x4 link) between the APU and the southbridge.

Yes. All components of the NB (PCI-E switch, Memory controller, Hypertransport, A-Link) are all in the APU. The NB is completely eliminated. All that remains is an A-Link (PCI-E 2.0 x4 link) between the APU and the southbridge.

Too bad you can't upgrade the current Turion lappies with these. These feature a DDR3 memory controller, and major architectural differences over the current Turion Ultra.

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i like how some ati graphics chips on lappys are socketed.. too bad the only way to upgrade those would be to obtain a chip from another laptop as you cant just go on newegg and order a gpu core for your lappy

i like how some ati graphics chips on lappys are socketed.. too bad the only way to upgrade those would be to obtain a chip from another laptop as you cant just go on newegg and order a gpu core for your lappy

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The reason I feel they're socketed is not that you change the GPU at will but that it becomes easy for manufacturers to draw variants for models. Say you have a model of a lappy, they'll make it have three (or so) variants, the cheapest one, there's no GPU, the IGP runs graphics, in the second one, a decent GPU is simply installed into the socket, in the highest variant, a 1337 GPU is installed.

The reason I feel they're socketed is not that you change the GPU at will but that it becomes easy for manufacturers to draw variants for models. Say you have a model of a lappy, they'll make it have three (or so) variants, the cheapest one, there's no GPU, the IGP runs graphics, in the second one, a decent GPU is simply installed into the socket, in the highest variant, a 1337 GPU is installed.

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yup, but wouldn't it be awesome if we buy the igp version due to budget and later want to upgrade the 1337 gpu version and we could just order the chip and pop it in?